The Apparent Trap
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Belle and a reluctant Rumple scheme to get a divorced Regina and Archie together at Thanksgiving so that their son Henry will have a good holiday. One-Shot


Disclaimer: Only the plot belongs to me!

 **A/n: this one-shot is a follow up of sorts to my one-shot called "The Beast In the Beauty". You don't have to have read that one to get this plot, but the two one-shots do go together. Also, in this, as it is another one of my Frasier type OUAT AUs, Archie and Regina are divorced and Henry is their son, not Emma's.**

"Now, tell me again why we're giving up a nice peaceful holiday to ourselves to have other people over?" Rumple asked as he and Belle headed out to the grocery store from their house. "You know I don't like having a bunch of people around, and besides, we just got rid of our spouses and all the problems they presented and now we can finally be together. Why ruin that?"

"Because I think it would be a good way to thank Archie for all the help he's given you," Belle replied. "It's really done you a lot of good to talk to him every week, hasn't it?"

"I suppose," Rumple sighed. "But that doesn't mean I want to see him on Thanksgiving!"

"Well, that's not the only reason why we're inviting him over," Belle replied. "I've been talking to his son, Henry and he told me that he really wants his parents to come together for a meal more than anything. Wouldn't it be nice if we could do that for him?"

"Why would I want to help Regina?" Rumple grumbled. "You know we have a complicated history! She's a twisted, troubled person!"

"So were you at one point, and here we are," Belle replied. "I think we owe it to Henry and Regina to give them a better future."

"Fine," Rumple sighed irritably. "Why don't you just invite _all_ of our neighbors while you're at it?"

"All right," Belle smiled. "I will. What a good suggestion."

* * *

A few hours later, Belle had made the other calls and asked Rumple to bring Archie to the house with him after his session.

"If the man is willing to see patients on Thanksgiving, he's clearly lonely," she pointed out. "So just ask him if he wants to come when your chat is all over."

"All right, fine," Rumple sighed. "But I don't know how long he'll stay once he realizes that you also invited the wife who cheated on him with that bartender who smelled like the forest."

"Well, that's the point of all this," Belle said. "To give the two of them a place to talk and work through their issues."

Rumple raised an eyebrow. "And you really think it will work?"

"Of course it will!" Belle smiled. "We'll make it work!" She watched him grab his keys and said, "Do you feel comfortable enough driving to Archie's office on your own, or do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I can do it," Rumple assured her. "You seem to have made up enough for yourself to do without taking time away from that to drive me to the psychologist."

"All right," Belle nodded. "I hope you two have a good talk, and don't forget to convince him to come home with you after you're done."

"I won't," Rumple told her warily. "I promise."

Once he was gone, Belle began baking and then only paused when she heard the knock on the door. She covered up what she was cooking and went to answer the knock, allowing Archie's ex-wife Regina, and his son Henry into the apartment.

"Are we late?" Regina asked. "We ran into a little mishap on the way here."

"Yeah!" Henry told Belle, his eyes sparkling. "There was an accident and Mom stopped to help. She saved a guy's life!"

"Oh, it was nothing," Regina shrugged off the praise. "I just applied a tourniquet, that's all."

"She's a hero!" Henry added.

"Yes, I'm sure the person she helped is very grateful," Belle smiled. "Now, would you like to help me with the turkey, Henry?"

"Sure!" Henry smiled. "I would love to!"

"And is there somewhere quiet I can work on a paper that I'm writing for work?" Regina wanted to know.

"Sure," Belle nodded. "You could go in my library. It's nice and peaceful in there."

"Thank you," Regina told her. "And you and Henry seem to have things under control, but if you need help, don't hesitate to ask."

It was while Belle and Henry continued to cook lunch that Rumple and Archie (along with their neighbor David and a couple of others) arrived.

"Tell me something," Archie said to Belle after hugging Henry. "Is it true that Regina is here too?"

"What he wants to know is if the witch is gone yet?" Rumple interpreted.

"Are you talking about me?" Regina asked as she emerged from the library to get a glass of water and locked eyes with Rumple.

"No," Rumple shook his head and began to fidget. "I just…" he turned to Archie, who looked at him with concern. "Did you see? Has my twitch gone yet?"

"What's going on?" Henry asked. "Mr. Gold, are you all right?"

"He's worried about his twitch," Regina informed her son.

Then, the meal began (after several complaints from Rumple regarding the fact that the cranberry sauce contained actual cranberries and no one had gone to get a store bought pumpkin pie) and Belle requested that Regina talk more about the article she was writing.

"It sounds so interesting," she said. "What made you decide to write it?"

"Well, I have a friend who works for a magazine and she thought it would be interesting if I wrote an article about raising a child after divorce, since, you know, I'm a woman with a very important job and everything."

"Oh, well, there you go again!" Archie scoffed. "Just throw it in my face that you make more money than I do. It wasn't enough to that…you had to cheat on me too!"

Everyone else at the table stared at him, open-mouthed, after that little outburst, and then Archie turned to Rumple apologetically. "I know I said in session that we weren't going to discuss that anymore because it would set you back in therapy. I apologize. Let's just forget I said anything and try to have a nice holiday."

Despite that bit of assurance from him, everyone, possibly scared of another outburst, ate as quickly as they could and soon the meal was over and dishes were being cleared away from the table.

"I'm sorry about my outburst," Archie told Henry later in the kitchen. "I just…I didn't mean it, but you know things haven't exactly been good between your mother and me since the divorce. I'll make it up to you somehow. Maybe get you that mini-bike you always wanted."

"I know," Henry nodded. "But they could be getting better. When she first got the idea for the article, she said that she wanted your help with it real bad because you're so smart. She misses you a lot too, even though she thinks I don't notice."

"Does she?" Archie asked. "Well, isn't that interesting? I never would have guessed, but I suppose that it's possible."

"Oh, it is!" Henry nodded. "I promise. You need help with the dishes?"

"No, thank you, son," Archie told him. "I think I can manage."

"All right," Henry nodded and went to ask Belle if he could use her bedroom to play his video game in private.

"Sure," Belle smiled. "It's the first door on the left side of the hallway."

Henry thanked her and locked himself in the room to play his video game while Archie, thinking about what his son had said, decided to see if there was any truth to it.

"Can I give you some wine?" He asked, approaching Regina, who was sitting on the sofa, all the notes for her article spread out on the coffee table.

Regina turned and looked at him. "Sure," she said. "I suppose I could stand to have a glass." She then removed the red cardigan she was wearing over her sleeveless black dress and shook out her long hair. "Is it just me, or is it a bit warm in here?"

"No, I never noticed it," Archie replied, his eyes widening a little. "I'll get you that wine now. And then we can work on your article. Would you mind? I'd be more than happy to help if you'd like."

"Okay," Regina nodded. "I suppose I could use the help to get this done by the end of the holidays. Thank you, Archie."

He went to get her the wine, and they worked on the outline for the article.

Meanwhile, a bored Rumple found his way into his room where Henry was playing his game.

"Belle said I could be in here," he said when he looked up. "Am I in your way?"

"No, of course not," Rumple assured him. "What are you doing?"

"Playing a video game," Henry replied, holding it out to him. "Wanna try?"

"Oh, I wouldn't even know where to begin with these things," Rumple told him.

"That's not a problem," Henry told him. "I'll teach you."

Rumple took the game from him and began pressing buttons. "What do I do?" He cried. "What do I do?"

"Just press the arrows the way you want to run, that button labeled 'a' to shoot, and then…" Henry cut off as a painful noise emitted from the game.

"Okay," Rumple replied. "What just happened?"

"You died," Henry informed him. "But don't worry. You have two lives left. Keep going."

But it hardly took any time at all before Rumple died again. "What is this?" He asked Henry irritably. "This must be some advanced level. Couldn't you have started me off with something easier? I _am_ a beginner, you know!"

"I did!" Henry told him, looking dumbfounded. "This is like the training area! I didn't even know you could die here! You have one more chance. Come on, you can do it!"

"Like they'd be able to stop me!" Rumple told him with determination. But a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Belle poked her head in. "Rumple, would you help me with dessert?" She asked him.

"He's playing a game," Henry told her. "I'll help." He turned to Rumple. "When you die again, the switch to restart it is on the back."

"All right," Belle smiled, putting her arm around the little boy. "Thank you, Henry." They strode from the room and as they made their way into the kitchen, Henry smiled at his parents working together.

"I think this was good for my mom and dad," He told Belle as she got out plates and he held them while she put pie on them. "Look how well they're getting along!"

"Yes," Belle smiled. "That's awfully wonderful, isn't it?" She then brought Rumple some pie. Knocking on the closed door, she heard him say, "Just a minute, it's not your turn yet!"

"It's me," Belle said, opening the door. "Not Henry. Would you like some pie?"

"Of course," Rumple nodded, sitting up as he died again and putting the game on the mattress beside him. As Belle put the pie in his hand, he kissed her cheek.

"I'm so proud about how nice you're being to Henry," she said. "I know you weren't so happy about this gathering at first, but you seem to have adjusted."

"Yes, I guess," Rumple nodded. "Who's all out there?"

"Everyone except Regina, Archie, and Henry have gone on their way," Belle said. "So it's a much more manageable crowd if you'd like to come out and talk."

"No, thanks," Rumple said as he began eating his pumpkin pie. "I'm happy where I am."

"All right," Belle said. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

He had just gotten into the swing of the game when there was another knock on the door. "Come in if you have to," Rumple called back as he died yet again.

"We have to talk," Regina told him. "I think Archie is in love with me again. He's plying me with wine and he just put on this music and lowered the lights…not to mention the help he's giving me on my article."

"Don't read too much into it," Rumple advised. "It's probably just the holidays. He wanted to be festive and offer you a drink on Thanksgiving and take a professional interest in your article. There's nothing shady about that."

"I suppose not," Regina agreed. "And after what I did to him with Robin, I suppose the last thing Archie would want to do is forgive me. Has he mentioned anything about that to you in your sessions?"

"I can't tell you," Rumple said immediately. "Patient-client privilege goes both ways."

"So he _has_ said something!" Regina cried dramatically, and snatched the game out of Rumple's hands and sitting down on the bed to play it and mutter angrily about the demise of her relationship with Robin, the man she'd cheated on Archie with as Rumple looked over her shoulder. "How did you do that?" He asked in amazement when she passed the level he'd struggled with for so long. "I didn't even know there was a door there!"

"Well, it's hidden and you have to be observant!" Regina told him. Since she was playing the game, Rumple decided to go out and get another piece of pie.

After he'd gotten it, he was immediately stopped by Archie. "Can we talk?" He asked.

"Why?" Rumple wanted to know. "What's going on?"

"Can I tell you in private?" Archie said.

They went to the spare bedroom and Rumple said, "All right, what's going on?"

"Henry says that Regina is beginning to have feelings for me," Archie got out. "Now, I certainly wouldn't believe it, but we've been getting along so well I have to wonder. My boy wouldn't lie to me."

"Are you happy about this or sad?" Rumple wanted to know. "After all you've been through with her, I'd be awfully surprised to hear you say you wanted to get back together with her."

Archie sighed. "Well, she _did_ put me through a lot, and for the longest time, I told myself that if she asked me to get back together with her, I would shoot her down, but now…now it's just been like old times, so I'm not so sure."

"Well, then I guess all you can do is talk to her, isn't it?" Rumple asked. "I can't tell you any more than that."

"I suppose you're right," Archie sighed. "Where is she?"

"In Belle's and my bedroom," Rumple told him. "Playing Henry's video game."

When Archie got to the bedroom, he found Regina and Henry in there together. "Hi," he said to them. "I think we need to talk. As a family."

"Yeah," Regina nodded. "I think we do too." She looked at Henry and said, "Have you been trying to get your father and I back together today?"

"Maybe a little," Henry admitted. "I just…I wanted to have a nice holiday with my parents together, you know? You've been fighting so much and I hate it. Plus, I also did this to get my mini-bike, but if you two get together, I won't need it!"

"Well, we're sorry that all our trouble has affected you badly," Regina told him. "But I think…I think your efforts may have come to something." She looked at Archie. "Don't you think?"

"Maybe," Archie agreed.

"You mean you _are_ getting back together?" Henry asked eagerly.

"Maybe not right away, but…I suppose that if your father is willing, we could try again," Regina told him. "I made a mistake, and I…I learned my lesson from it."

"You did?" Archie asked. "Really? But what about that article about raising a child after divorce? It won't really apply to you if we do this, will it?"

"No, but…I suppose I can always write another one about how to get along with your spouse after you've remarried," Regina smiled. "What do you think? Is it worth a shot?"

"Are you genuinely sorry for what happened?" Archie wanted to know.

"Yes," Regina nodded. "I am, I promise."

"All right," Archie said, taking Regina in one arm and Henry in another. "It's worth a try. But we'll start slow."

They then headed back to the living room where Rumple and Belle were smooching and sharing an after dessert drink.

"Sorry for interrupting," Archie said quickly as they pulled apart. "But I just wanted to say that we've talked everything over and have decided to give our relationship another go."

"You have?" Belle asked, laughing and running over to hug him. "That's wonderful!"

"And don't you try and start anything more with him," Rumple told Regina. "Cause if you do, I'll just hear about it and I won't let you forget it!"

"Oh, I won't," Regina said. "I have no desire to give you more things to hang over my head."

"Why don't you sit down and have a celebratory drink?" Belle suggested. "We can toast. And don't worry, Henry. I have cider for you."

So they all sat down, and when everyone had their drinks, Archie said, "To second chances and new beginnings. May things be better now than ever."

"Hear hear," Belle said. They toasted and drank their drinks, and then Regina looked at the clock and said that they should be going home because her mother was coming to visit and they didn't want to be late.

"Can't I just stay here?" Archie asked.

"Yeah," Henry agreed as they made their way to the door. "It never ends well when Grandma Cora comes to visit."

"Well, in the spirit of the holiday, we're all gonna try and get along with her, all right?" Regina told them firmly."

"Thanks for having us," Archie told Rumple and Belle.

"You're welcome," Rumple told him. "I look forward to hearing all about this during my session on Monday."

When the door closed behind them and Belle and Rumple were alone again, Belle said, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No, I suppose not," Rumple replied. "I made it through."

"I taped the parade," Belle told him. "Wanna sit and watch it with me? I'll make popcorn."

"All right," Rumple replied. "Why don't I make the popcorn, though? I know how to do that."

By the time he came back with the popcorn bowl, the parade was playing and Belle gave him a list of the best floats: "There was one that was covered with roses and it was so beautiful! And one that looked like a turkey and made gobbling noises, and another that looked like Mickey Mouse!"

Rumple smiled as he sat down next to her, kissed her, and handed her the popcorn bowl. "There you go," he said to her. "Enjoy."

"I will," Belle replied, leaning against him. "Happy Thanksgiving, Rumple."

He smiled and kissed her hair. "Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart."


End file.
